This year is the 150th anniversary of the revival of the long-lost sacred science of Kriya Yoga as a special dispensation for this age. This milestone is an occasion to celebrate in joy, and with grati­tude to God and our Self-Realization Fellowship line of revered Gurus for this priceless gift bestowed by them from the divine treasury of the enlightened ancient spiritual age of the rishis.

Kriya Yoga is the science of the upliftment of human consciousness — the key to the kingdom of God within the human spirit, and to the discovery of that heaven on earth in the omnipresence of God erstwhile hidden from the matter-focused materiality of ordinary mortal perception. With this gift is the endowment of God’s grace and the promise of the aid and guidance of our great Gurus to sincere faithful Kriya Yogis. Every conscientious effort to practice Kriya correctly and to live rightly deepens the devotee’s attunement with Their ever-present blessings.

The reintroduction of Kriya Yoga and its worldwide spread through the work of our gurudeva Paramahansa Yogananda has come at a critical juncture in humanity’s evolution. Over the centuries, great strides have been made in scientific and technological achievements, but the coexisting intrusive turbulent times are clear evidence that such advances in themselves are not enough to bring true happiness and fulfillment. Without spiritual wisdom through communion with God, there will always remain an emptiness in peoples’ hearts that no amount of satisfying the desires of the senses and egoistic ambitions can fill. Only in the realization of our eternal connection with God and the necessity of including Him in our daily lives can our existence be complete. The Kriya Yoga science of right living and meditation brings harmony within ourselves, with others, and with our Creator. It is God’s compassionate answer to the soul-call of the many who yearn to be free of the resultant sufferings of the bondage of maya. It offers a means to experience God’s peace and divine love, to find our sense of well-being in our relationship with Him, and ultimately to change the center of our consciousness from the body-identified ego to our immortal soul. That was the consciousness in which Gurudeva Paramahansaji lived. We saw that though he had countless responsibilities and many challenges to face in carrying out his God-given mission, he was ever anchored in the supernal bliss of the Divine. How tirelessly he served, in order to share with all the liberating blessings Kriya Yoga can bring!

Guruji reminded us that we each have the inherent spiritual birthright to know God, even in this lifetime. When by deep Kriya meditation we touch the Infinite Being, we bring into our outer roles His divine qualities. His wisdom enables us to better understand others and find solutions to our own challenges. Experiencing His love, we become more compassionate and forgiving. Mahavatar Babaji spoke of the transforming power of Kriya Yoga when he predicted that it would “aid in harmonizing the nations through man’s personal, transcendental perception of the Infinite Father.” Our individual efforts are vital, for as the darkness of maya lifts from our own consciousness, we increasingly reflect and transmit God’s light. As more and more souls join in seeking God by devoted Kriya practice, the healing influence of that light will spread around the world. As we commemorate together this auspicious anniversary, you have my love and my prayers that through Kriya Yoga and the Gurus’ blessings, you may experience the joy of your own soul’s awakening and radiate God’s goodness and love wherever He has placed you.